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    The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy
    The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy
    The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy

    Written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

    Narrated by Daniel Oreskes

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    “A cross between The Hot Zone and ’Salem’s Lot.”
    —Entertainment Weekly

    “I cannot wait to see where Del Toro and Hogan take us next.”
    —James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Bloodline

    The wait is over! Guillermo del Toro, one of Hollywood’s most popular and imaginative storytellers (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) and Hammett Award-winning thriller writer Chuck Hogan (Prince of Thieves) return with The Fall—the second blood-chilling volume in their critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling Strain Trilogy. The Fall picks up where The Strain left off—with a vampiric infection spreading like wildfire across America as a small band of heroes struggles to save the dwindling human race from the vampire plague. Horror fiction and dark fantasy fans will be swept up in this epic story that bestselling author Nelson DeMille describes as “Bram Stoker meets Stephen King meets Michael Crichton.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 5, 2010
    ISBN9780061988714
    Author

    Guillermo del Toro

    Guillermo del Toro is an Academy Award®–winning film director as well as a screenwriter, producer, and New York Times bestselling novelist. He is best known for his foreign fantasy films, especially Pan’s Labyrinth, and American mainstream movies like The Shape of Water. Del Toro has published multiple bestselling adult novels with HarperCollins, including The Strain, which was adapted into a TV series by FX, and he is the creator of Trollhunters, Netflix’s most-watched children’s series.

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    Reviews for The Fall

    4.5/5

    202 ratings69 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Great story. Just as gripping as the first one. Looking forward to listen to the third part. I highly recommand this trilogy.
    • 3/5
      When sunlight failed to kill the Master vampire, Dr. Goodweather and his team must act quickly if there is any hope for the human race. Enter a mysterious book that is supposed to contain the greatest secrets of the origin of vampires. As luck would have it, the book has surfaced for auction at Sotheby's. Now all they have to do is come up with the millions of dollars needed to purchase it.Despite my expectations, this book is not terrible. The characters are still flat, predictable, and inexplicably stupid, but the plot takes an unexpectedly dark turn. This novel is grim to say the least and looks deep into the potential of the vampire legend. My biggest problem with the plot is how the Master has these delusions of grandeur. The novel has been explicit: vampirism is a virus propagated by parasites. So when the Master carps on about "puny humans" and their "narrow perspective", I'm like, "Who is talking? The worms? The virus?" I don't understand how the ravening monsters the virus creates could ever become thinking, planning, scheming "old ones". It's not ever clearly addressed. Maybe it will be explained in the last book, but I somehow doubt it.
    • 4/5
      This story had massive twists and turns and ended on a low note. Looks like the world is doomed. On to the last book in this series to see if humanity saves itself from vampires, and not the sparkly kind.
    • 5/5
      So Good! ?☠️? I am hooked on this serie and will now move on to #3 !
    • 5/5
      I enjoy this one almost as much as the first one. Still a "I can't put in down" series. I would strongly suggest reading this series in order, anyone starting with this one or the third one will be missing a lot of necessary info.
    • 5/5
      This is a really great book, and I can't wait four season 2 to hit TV. It is very well written, and leaves you on the edge of your seat most of the book.
    • 5/5
      Awesome. Can't wait to read the final of the trilogy to see where it goes from here.
    • 2/5
      It just isn't as absorbing a read as the first book. The introduction of a million-dollar rare book that's supposed to Explain It All (a book which was not mentioned in The Strain) feels a bit contrived to me, almost like it's there to complicate the story & pad out a weaker second act in the trilogy. Maybe this novel would have been a tighter, more interesting read if the trilogy had been condensed into two books. My recommendation: if you loved the first book, give this one a try yourself & see what you think--but don't be surprised if it leaves you less satisfied than the first novel.
    • 3/5
      This is a good book. It is not a great book. The story does the subject matter justice. The Fall, like it’s siblings is well written….If you are 15 years old. But that is ok. It is easy to enjoy as an adult. The characters are slightly generic and it reads like a screenplay. In regards to Vampires…….well I admit. I am spoiled by Brian Lumley’s books. And I proudly confess it. In my world no one even comes close to the tapestry he weaves. The Fall however is a good story that could be better. It is quite obvious it was written for a certain crowd. No disrespect to Del Toro. He is a magnificent story teller. But with this book….I wanted so much more. An epic idea without the epic. The mention of the Hunters having been professional soldiers from who knows when…..then it stops. I would love to hear more of that. The fact that one of them could be Alexander the Great or someone similar….then it falls flat. The movement of the action is quick and to the point while leaving a nice visual.
    • 3/5
      Perfectly adequate yet slightly disappointing sequel. Some of the new characters aren’t fully developed and I’m afraid to say that I found the plot to be quite linear. The character arcs of some of the protagonists could have been more interesting. This is perfectly adequate blockbuster entertainment, but those that are looking for a newer type of vampire fiction or dystopian fiction, Will find this to be slightly disappointing. I will finish the trilogy but like many sequels it’s not as good as the first.
    • 5/5
      Darkly thrilling, utterly compelling: an excellent second book in this trio of horror novels in which vampires are rightfully something to be scared of. I await the third book, The Night Eternal, with much excitement. If this series concludes with the same energy of The Fall, it will be a very satisfying end to this groundbreaking story.
    • 4/5
      Good middle volume of the trilogy. Moves the plot along and is very entertaining. Honestly all three books should probably been one large volume, but the economics of the publishing business dictated otherwise. In any case if you liked the first one, you'll like this one too.
    • 3/5
      After the events of cite>The Strain New York is in chaos, and the rest of the world is following in a downward spiral. Ephraim Goodweather is trying to keep his son out of the clutches of his vampiric ex-wife, these vampires feel a real need to turn their “Dear Ones”, human love turned into hunger. And Abraham Setrakian is busy trying to track down The Master, as he learns that the events happening are even worse than he could have suspected. Along with Fet, the rat exterminator turned vampire-hunter, they are attempting the impossible, to stop the vampire contagion spreading across the world.

      This is a very solid vampire book. More sci-fi than fantasy, although both are mixed together in this horror story. And it is a page-turner that’ll make you want to keep on reading in order to find out what comes next. Unfortunately I never really got a proper sense of the characters, which I need if I am to love a book, but it is an action-packed read. Perhaps too action-focused for my tastes?

      I did enjoy it, however I’d have to say solid rather than great.

      However, given the darkness of the ending, and the horrible-ness of the vampires I know I’ll be reading the final book in this trilogy when it comes out.
    • 4/5
      A very good follow up book. Del Toro and Hogan have created a very bleak world where it feels like no one is safe. I have no idea how this trilogy is going to wrap up, and that's part of the excitement. I can't wait for the last book.
    • 4/5
      Is it a bit worse than the previous volume? Yes. Does it sometimes have a bit lame dialogues? Yes. But apart from that it`s still a highly entertaining and fast-paced, fairly original vampire story worth reading.
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars!
      The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (Audio) I liked this second entry in "The Strain" series!

      This is the first book I've listened to narrated by Daniel Oreskes and he was fantastic.

      I was worried that it would affect my enjoyment listening to the second book after reading the first, but it was for naught. First off, I probably couldn't have read this one right now, due to this stupid slump that won't let me get into anything. Second, I've been very busy at work with a lot of mundane paperwork that doesn't require too much brain power. Overall, everything worked out perfectly.

      The story itself was just okay. I thought the narration made it sound better than it actually was, if that makes any sense. However, the end really came together in an explosive way, and now I can't wait to see how the third novel wraps this all up. I mean, everything seems beyond saving at this point, including the International Space Station. When everything, even stuff in space, is messed up, how can the world come back from that? I guess I'll have to read the last book and see.

    • 4/5
      So this one was good a little more gory and definitely more of the "history" of this story very interesting!
    • 3/5
      Barely a three star rating. I am not even sure I care how this thing ends now.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this second part of the trilogy. Often, the second book of three tends to be slow and a bit tedious, at least partway through, but no part of this was either of those things. A thrill ride from start to finish, with so many answers leading to so many more questions and so many things left to think about. I definitely wasn't expecting that ending and I'm certainly interested to see where The Night Eternal and the conclusion of the trilogy take this story. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

      I have to say, though, that there are some things I just didn't think that I'd like which happened in this book and yet...I'm satisfied about them. For instance, I didn't think that I'd be able to be okay with Setrakian dying before the end of the trilogy, I didn't think I'd be okay with him dying before the Master bit it for good, and I didn't think I'd be okay with the Master choosing a new vessel and casting away Sardu's. But the way that the authors wrote it was completely satisfying and completely fitting. I'm glad that Setrakian got the ending that he did, and I'm glad that he was able to release Sardu at the same time. I'm glad that Sardu's soul was truly released and left the collective of souls that the Master keeps with him, because I've always felt bad for him. So many years. Finally, release. And I'm glad that it was Setrakian who was able to do that, with his last act of defiance, because for Setrakian it began with the Master in that body and I'm glad that for Setrakian and for the Master that body ended with the conclusion of Setrakian's life. I'm glad that Setrakian was able to die peacefully, as well. It just...seemed so perfectly fitting. Something that I had dreaded and had thought I would hate, actually became my favorite part of this second book and, perhaps, it will continue on to be my favorite part of the trilogy itself.

      I also have to say that I'm glad that Setrakian was able to destroy Eichhorst, as well.

      I was also unsure about Palmer dying before the end of the trilogy, as well. He was such a good adversary, such a good obstacle, but his time really had been played out and I like his ending. I think it was perhaps the best ending I could have wished for for that awful character.

      I'm going to be on pins and needles until I can get hold of the last book and see what happens with the remaining characters and what becomes of the world. I definitely recommend this trilogy and this book for anyone who likes sci-fi and vampires, and misses when vampires were the evil thing that went bump in the night and it was okay to hunt them indiscriminately in fiction.
    • 3/5
      Better than the first in many ways.
    • 4/5
      a strong follow up to the first book in the series, "the strain"
    • 5/5
      Since I've been a fan from the first book, and now, the television show, I have had a blast with both versions of this story. For fans of the show, the books have many differences that make them worth reading as well, and they are major differences. This was so good I am going to go ahead and read book three also.
    • 1/5
      I tried really, really hard to get over my disappointment with the first book to give this one a fair chance. However, there really aren't any redeeming factors here. Most of the main characters flatline in their development, and the plot moves in circles at a snail's pace. The dialogue is relatively tired, and character interactions become almost entirely implausible and unrealistic.

      Where the first book had promise, this one is difficult to slog through. The ending would be more sentimental and interesting if the characters made sense and the plot wasn't full of holes, but unfortunately that isn't the case here. This simply falls into the category of another book with an all-powerful villain that decides to leave the task of dealing with his only real threat with ineffective and bumbling henchmen. Oh, and a few Nazis thrown in for good measure - vampire Nazis are always bound to get some people to continue reading.
    • 3/5
      Among the many artistic and practical challenges that novelists face, one of the more frustrating must be this: writing the second novel of a trilogy that can stand on its own rather than as a bridge from the first novel to the concluding novel. Del Toro and Hogan confront that challenge with “The Fall,” the second novel in their trilogy, and they succeed better than most.The story picks up immediately after the conclusion of “The Strain,” the first book in the trilogy, and the remaining band of vampire hunters fight the good fight against the Master and his vampire and human minions. The action is fast-paced, the plotting is quick, and the death and destruction are relentless. In the course of the story, we learn more about Setrakian’s past, and a new plot element is introduced—an ancient book that contains the secrets of the strigoi’s origins. The novel concludes with the death of a major character, another character in dire jeopardy, and the world on the brink of nuclear winter—all of which points clearly to a thrilling conclusion in “The Night Eternal,” the final book in the trilogy.I suspect that the concluding volume (which I’ve not yet read) will be just as enjoyable as the first and somewhat better than this one—a serviceable and better-than-average “bridge” between the first and the last.
    • 5/5
      Marred only by a few hard to read chapter beginnings and a fair number of sentence fragments, this was a great vampire story.
    • 4/5
      Good follow-up of The Strain.
    • 4/5
      Very good, very good indeed.
    • 3/5
      The world is ending. A virus unleashed following the bizarre landing of “the dead plane” at JFK is spreading at an astronomical rate, turning anyone who comes in contact into bloodthirsty vampires. Human survivors are dwindling, cities are burning, and social infrastructure is collapsing.

      And Sotheby’s holds an auction.

      That is The Fall for you, the second book in The Strain trilogy about mankind’s last battles against the rampaging vampiric virus. Picking up where The Strain left off, a band of survivors, including Dr. Eph Goodweather and Dr. Nora Martinez, both formerly of the CDC, Eph’s young son, Zack, pest exterminator Vassily Fet, and Holocaust survivor / vampire expert Abraham Setrakian, are holed up and trying to recover from their failed encounter with the Master, the king vampire whose arrival aboard “the dead plane” unleashed “the strain” on Manhattan. Thrown off by the Master’s ability to withstand sunlight, the ragtag band of vampire hunters also face a new threat: Eph’s ex-wife and Zach’s mother, Kelly, is a vampire, one of the Master’s right hands, and she is deadest on getting her hands (and her stinger) on her son. As the group tries to stay one step ahead of Kelly, and out of the clutches of the Master, they also seek an ancient text that details the origin of vampires, and hopefully, how to bring them down.

      Meanwhile, 19-year-old Gus Elizande has been recruited by a group of ancient vampires - the originals - as a soldier in their own war against the Master. Teaming up with fellow gang bangers, and a retired wrestler / movie star, Gus sets out to destroy every “vamp” he comes across. When Gus and his warriors team up with Eph and crew, it becomes a race against time to find the book and stop the Master before the entire world is destroyed.

      Gripping stuff. And it has taken me some reflection to finally put my finger on what has withheld me from fully embracing this book. The writing is much better than The Strain. Del Toro and Hogan stepped away from the clinical description of every minute action – as was their approach to the first novel – and have turned more towards the smooth flow of narrative. So it’s not the writing. And it’s not the suspense of the novel. The world is falling apart. You can’t get much more suspenseful than that.

      It is a sense of believability. I know a world where a virus that turns all infected into vampires requires a certain suspension of reality. But it is possible to create a world with the most far-fetched and outlandish premise, and still make it believable. It is a core tenet of writing: make sure everything that happens, every word that is spoken, and every action taken is true to the world and the characters that inhabit it. At the end of The Strain, Eph, Setrakian, and Vassily go up against the Master in hand-to-hand combat. Here are your warriors: an 85-year-old pawnbroker who has to take a nitroglycerin pill every few minutes because of heart palpitations, a medical doctor who never lifted a weapon until the release of the virus 6 days earlier, and a rat exterminator who, yeah, may be big and burly, but still kills his enemies by spraying a hose. I know the supreme likelihood they will fail in their fight is part of the suspense. But the fact this all-powerful being with superhuman strength and speed, not to mention the ability to communicate telepathically, was sent on the run by these three warriors after just a few swings of a sword? And no one was hurt? Please. You can do better than that.

      And del Toro and Hogan don’t in The Fall. Sotheby’s holds an auction in the middle of Armageddon? Really?

      Still, I am hooked enough to read the final installment. Let’s see what kind of reality I have to suspend for this one.
    • 4/5
      Book 2 of the Strain Trilogy, a modern twist on the Vampire legend. combining vampirand End-of-the-World pandemic themes, with conspiracy theory thrown in to boot.
    • 5/5
      In the Strain Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan showed us a world where myth and legend were so much more horrifying that we could ever imagine ending the book on a near cliff-hanger aftermath of the ultimate struggle between good and evil.And now we have the Fall which picks up right where the Strain left off only now that we've had most of the characters introduced and the lines drawn between good and evil the book kicks the action and fear up a notch. Humankind is not alone and only a few people truly understand what is happening. While they struggle against an evil that seems near unstoppable they also try to make the world understand what is truly happening. This is not a normal virus! No normal strain! This is The Fall! Born from the evil of a master vampire and the heroes must race against the clock to find a way to stop it.Without giving away anything I can only say if you loved the Strain then you'll doubly enjoy The Fall. This book has more action, more horror and more answers that only lead to more questions. In book one the Characters were introduced and the plot established so with book two the authors were free to really put the peddle to the metal. I found myself unable to put this book down and my only regret is that I didn't pick these books up until they'd all been written. How will I ever make it until October when the third one comes out? I don't know but when it does come out get your night lights ready and make sure you have plenty of batteries because you won't want to spend too much time in the dark.